I stayed at the Moevenpick with my two teenage children 17 & 19 for 11 days.

We arrived at 9am tired and jetlagged and were greeted with a quick check in, friendly service plus immediate access to a room, usually in Australia you wait till 2pm.

They upgraded us to a larger room seeing that there was three of us.

We slept and emerged for breakfast the next morning, which was excellent, to relax we spent all day at the hotel and ate at the excellent Pizza restaurant at the front that night.

The hotel is clean, quiet, comfortable, great pools great restaurants to choose from, pizza, Thai, Brazilian. The grounds are immaculate and room service is quick and easy.

My two teenagers made themselves at home and spent many days in the main pool and happily ran me up a bill at the "swim to pool bar' . They also commuted to Patong for entertainment at night, which is a 300 Baht ride away.

For young children there is a play room, and for older ones there is a TV and computer room for access to the internet.

The excellent beach is close by and so is the town centre of Karon. Markets for clothes and DVD shopping are just next door on the beach front.

There is not the hustle and bustle of Patong but all you want is available.

To sum up the hotel is first class in all areas, highly recommended for families and people who are not after the party all night and meet new boyfriend/girlfriend hotels.

arrivng to what looked like a multi story car park, was disconcerting , and the tower rooms are showing signs of old age, has all the attributes of a 5 star hotel , just didnt quite make the grade, karon beach is very quiet and more suitable for those seeking the quiet life, the rooms were very dissappointing , little grubby, tho quite comfortable beds , and we had a load of ants enjoying the rooms with us. Paid extra for a seaview which was a waste of money for the seaview is side on and quite a distance away, The rooms were the worst part. Breakfast was excellent, and good to see the executive chef watching over it actively and eagerly , the gardens and pool areas are well tended and the villas and residence looked much better choice than the tower rooms. The snooker and pool tables had a 5 degree list away from the pockets , service in the sand bar was appaling , was very dissappointed indeed, both in the hotel and the resort.

Ordinarily I'm not a fan of massive chain hotels, preferring to stay in smaller Boutique locations. I'm glad we made an exception this time round - because the Moevenpick was, quite simply, one of best hotels I have stayed in in my life. Yes - it really was that good!

My girlfriend and I had booked a "Plunge-pool villa" room for 3 nights in April 2008. Upon arrival we were upgraded to a “Penthouse Plunge-pool villa” – one of the most luxurious rooms I’ve ever stayed in. The best feature was undoubtedly the private roof-top terrace, complete with a small infinity-styled plunge pool under a pagoda. It was great for some private sun-bathing and we also enjoyed a couple of midnight dips! The rest of the suite was lovely, with a massive bathroom, marble floors, a huge comfy bed and all the usual amenities.

Although the resort itself was very large, it’s well laid out and you never feel too pressured by crowds. There are two main swimming pools, and a smaller pool attached to the PADI dive centre. The pools are lovely – and lifeguards are on duty. The hotel is on Karon beach, which is quieter than Patong, and while they don’t own any sea front, the edge of the resort is only separated from the beach by a road. There’s also a security guard who will help you cross the occasionally busy road, useful if you’re not used to Thai drivers! Rooms don’t have free ‘net access, but there’s a café with 6 or so desktops which are free for guests of the resort. The beach itself is gorgeous – white sands and warm sea.

I know Thai people are regarded as being very hospitable – but combined with the Swiss attitude to Service, the Moevenpick really, really shone. We’ve never felt so welcomed before, everybody from the check in staff to the groundskeeper’s make sure they greet you with a smile and a small bow every time you pass by – it’s a wonderful experience! Also, I spent some time emailing customer services at the resort before we came as I wanted to organise some nice events (dinner, boat trips etc) while we were there, they were incredibly helpful and gave us some great recommendations. In particular if you want a luxury dinner on the side of the beach, I’d recommend the well-known Mom Tri’s Boathouse, a 10 minute taxi ride from the hotel. Magnificent dinner!

Food-wise, the included buffet breakfast was great, massive choice and nothing ran out even if you turn up late. The pastries and gourmet coffee machines are particularly good. Cocktails at the pool bar are also good – happy hour sees 50% off from 5-6pm, a nice way to round off your pool time before dinner. Otherwise we only ate in the hotel once, a pizza at the Internet Café, which was excellent. As you should be aware – the cost of eating in the hotel is perhaps 3 times (or more) the cost of eating at a restaurant outside, and in fact if you know where to go and travel away from the beaches it’s even cheaper. There were decent places 10 minutes walk from the beach entrance of the Moevenpick, going either left or right on the road. Also of note is a large market on the left as you leave the beach entrance – don’t forget to haggle!

We’d heartily recommend the Moevenpick to anyone – it’s the perfect spot to base a Phuket holiday in, especially excellent for relaxing by the pool / beach I wish we could have stayed longer! The only people who this resort wont appeal to would be those who are in Phuket for the party scene, in which case you’re better suited staying in Patong nearer the bigger clubs and bars. But for everyone else? No contest!

When : April 2008
Where : Movenpick Resort and Spa, Karon Beach
Who : Mum, Dad, Boy No.1 [4yo] + Boy No.2 [2yo]

Thanks Movenpick for making our long overdue family vacation simply fantastic. Its a great resort for families with kids and those who prefer a quiet and relaxing vacation. Everyone from the front desk right to the garderners tending the flowers are very friendly and helpful. The kids club is very big and clean. We really like the fact that it is sectioned into areas according to child's age. There is a toddler zone, older kids and teen zones plus little beds for tired kids who want to take a nap. The kids zone sitter are also fantastice with the kids with daily activities to keep them occupied. Breakfast is simply extensive, guests will be spoilt for choice. We stayed there for 4 days and still did not get to sample ALL items in their breakfast. The rooms are large and clean with turndown service in the evening. Cant comment on the beach cuz we didnt really go to the other beaches. Overall it was a fantastic experience.